The Death of Kings
by antler
Summary: -conceptual- Roxas knows a place called Athens. Axel wants to see it, and Xemnas wants to watch it die.


ew um so this story kind of just took off with a life of its own. KH + Ancient Greece, who knew? i'm not exactly sure what this is all about.

* * *

"Morality," says Xemnas in his amber voice, "is for those with hearts." That is all he has to say, because they read the stories between his lines and take flight.

All but Roxas, of course. He is still thinking after all the others have left, and Xemnas smirks at him like old enemies. "Are you already done with your mission?" His sneers bounce off of Roxas' golden skin and rebound back at him.

"I don't think morality has anything to do with hearts." His voice is flimsy, cigarettes thrown on the hot concrete and stomped on. "I mean, it's all in our heads, isn't it? It's - well, it's perception."

Xemnas cocks deaf ears towards the sound of Roxas's dead-flower words. "If this life is just a case of misunderstanding, then why are you still here?"

Roxas has no answer and simply bows his head, the echo of Xemnas's sharp grin shadowing him all the way out of the Castle That Never Was.

* * *

Axel is smoke and dead-spiders-in-the-bathroom.

Roxas glares at the body sprawled at his feet. The redhead's face is sharp angles and rat bones and some kind of sickly hope. His emerald eyes narrow at Roxas.

"You are Adonis," Axel croons, his voice crackling. "Narcissus." When Roxas snarls, the man laughs and continues. "You be Hermodotus and I'll be Hipparchus."

"Then who is Hippias?" Roxas shoots, sinking down to rest on Axel's hips. "Who will be your vengeful brother? Who will be the tyrant?"

Axel skitters spiderfingers up Roxas's spine. "We have no brother nor a mother. You are invincible. You are Osiris and rule over death and life. When I am dead you will spit at my corpse and kiss me back to life."

Axel is already a corpse, Roxas thinks with a hiss. Ashes and bones and - he bites Axel's lips to silence the darkness in their heads.

* * *

"What are you reading?" Xemnas has a way of sneaking up, like dawn or maybe death. Roxas glares and closes his book.

"I'm reading about the great Athenian rulers." Roxas sighs when Xemnas sits down next to him. "Solon and Peisistratus and Cleisthenes, the creators of democracy."

"Democracy?" Xemnas tastes the word, lips cracking. "Sounds something like blasphemy."

Roxas bows his head against Xemnas's eyes. "You are Xerxes, the king of Persia, ruler of whatever the hell you want. Of course democracy is blasphemy."

Xemnas doesn't care much for the way Roxas's head is full of the roots of freedom. "I am not Persia, I am Sparta. We are a few warriors in a very big world."

"The world is not big," Roxas says, thoughts glazed. "The world is flat. The Spartans didn't survive. Neither did Persia."

"No one really survives," Xemnas snaps and walks away. Roxas and Athens smolder under a sun too bright.

* * *

When Roxas leaves, Axel isn't all that surprised. _'This is Hippias, the exiled dictator,'_ he decides.

Roxas's voice is a little too determined, and Axel can't bring himself to cry. _'He will flash the shield at Marathon and bring the Persians to Athens.'_ A quiet laugh eats its way through his mouth as the blonde walks away. _'We will turn back his army. He will be the death of us all.'_

He no longer knows if he is Axel or Hipparchus or the center of the universe. But in his head is a picture of Athens burning to the ground and Axel knows things were never alright.

* * *

ok quick explanation. Adonis was a really pretty Greek guy. Narcissus was another pretty Greek guy who fell in love with himself. Hermodotus was a beautiful gay Athenian kid. one ruler of Athens was Hippias, and his younger bro, Hipparchus, fell in love with Hermodotus. Hermodotus assinated Hipparchus and Hippias went crazy, killed Hermodotus, and became a cruel evil dictator. Xerxes was the Persian king who went to war with Greece because he was afraid of the Greek concept of democracy. Also the king whose army was beaten back the 300 Spartan soldiers anddddd i don't feel like writing any more history.

ok ya there you go. :D. and i didn't spell check this story oh shit.


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